1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for cleaning a transport (conveyor) belt of a machine for manufacturing and/or processing a material web, e.g., a paper or cardboard web, with varying intensity of the cleaning at least over the total width of the transport belt. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for cleaning a transport belt of a machine for manufacturing and/or processing a material web, e.g., a paper or cardboard web.
2. Discussion of Background Information
In machines for manufacturing a material web, e.g., a paper or cardboard web, numerous transport (conveyor) belts are used, e.g., woven cloth belts. Theses belts can become soiled during the continuous operation of the machine with, e.g., fibers of the material web, adhesives, or other added substances that clog up the meshes and pores of transport belts. In order to ensure an uninterrupted production process, the transport belts are cleaned with a cleaning device. There are known cleaning devices that include one or a number of nozzles that can be acted on with a pressurized cleaning medium. The nozzle can be moved laterally to a travel direction of the transport belt and applies the cleaning medium evenly to the surface of the transport belt. Further, there are known cleaning devices that have a nozzle bar which extends laterally to the travel direction of the transport belt and which has a number of nozzles attached to it. In this manner, a cleaning medium can be applied to the transport belt.
It has been found that the transport belts become soiled with an uneven severity laterally to the travel direction, i.e., the transport belt can be soiled particularly severely in the edge regions while there is only a slight contamination in the center of the transport belt. In such instances, the uniform cleaning action of the known cleaning devices cannot always produce satisfactory cleaning results. Moreover, unsatisfactory cleaning results can lead to interruptions of the production process and to a loss in quality of the finished product.